Bombing forces Tsunami refugees to seek shelter under trees

[TamilNet, Sunday, 29 July 2007, 12:11 GMT]Tsunami refugees and Internally displaced Persons (IDPs), including children, aged, women and pregnant mothers of 232 families staying in interim refugee camps located in A'lampil in Mullaitheevu district in Vanni sought shelter under trees and public buildings to escape sustained aerial bombardment by SLAF's Kfir jets. Mullaitheevu district Additional Government Agent (AGA) Parthipan said that the IDPs do not go out fishing due to Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) harassment, and are facing severe economic hardships. He added that Village Officers have been directed to collect data to begin supplying dry rations.

Mr. Parthipan, visiting the area said the IDP familes have all moved out of the interim camps in A'lampil north and south, have sought safety under trees and some huts along the road in neighbouring villages.

Two pairs of SLAF bombers dropped 16 bombs on a raid over A'lampil civilian settlement Friday.

The Roman Catholic school and St. Antony's in A'lampil were damaged while a girl student writing exams in the school was injured in the Friday bombing.

The Additional GA said that the possibility of the IDPs returning back to the interim refugee camps in the near future is remote.

However, decisions will be made in the next few days, he added.

A 15-year-old boy and a 51-year-old woman were killed on the spot and 11 civilians wounded, when fishermen about to go fishing and their huts along A'lampil sea shore were attacked by a lone Kfir bomber on 11 July.

The residents of this area have been living in constant fear of attacks by SLAF bombers.

Also on Thursday, two Kfir bombers attacked villages in Mullaitheevu twice when students were writing exam papers in their schools.

The SLAF bombardment has been stepped up as Vanni prepares to mark the first death-anniversary of 51 school girls killed in SLAF bombing last August at Va'lipunam in Mullaitheevu.